The Burning Beacon
by rogue-scholar07
Summary: When Dafne was forced to make a detour in her flight path, she never dreamed it would result in bringing the wild realm of Remnant into the magical dimension. Or that her sister would become a Huntress, for that matter.
1. prologue: A Spark of Hope

**I do not own Winx Club or RWBY, or the characters used in this work of fanfiction. I also don't make any money off the publishing of this story.**

**The Burning Beacon**

**Prologue: A Spark of Hope**

Dafne didn't feel sure about this place, but it would have to suffice. She'd intended to make it all the way to Earth, but once she realized that the Ancestral Witches had put a Trace Spell on her, she was forced to take a detour to a planet well known for scrambling magical readings: Remnant. It was a wilder, harsher world than she wanted her beloved sister to grow up in, but it was one of the safest places in the known realms at the moment. The witches would never find her sister here.

She glanced down lovingly at the redheaded infant in her arms. Alexandra Deanna Bloom Fuego, second princess of Domino, slept peacefully in the warmth of her pink blanket. She had the most beautiful blue eyes—the same shade of blue-green that their grandfather had when he was alive. It didn't sit well with the crown princess of Domino to leave such a beautiful innocent child in such a harsh environment as this evergreen forest—a forest packed with man-eating monsters, but there was no other choice. Besides, she sensed someone was nearby and hoped that whoever it was would take compassion on her sister.

"Stay safe, little flower." Dafne whispered, carefully laying the infant down in the lee of a fallen tree trunk. "You may well be the only hope our people have." Her shaking hands pinned a small note to the blanket before she stood erect again. The stranger was coming ever closer, and she couldn't afford to be seen. With one last glance around the woods, Dafne disappeared in a flash of light and left behind her the comforting smell of the ocean.

* * *

><p>The title of Hunter or Huntress ranked as one of the most revered in all of Remnant due to the planet's chronic Grimm infestation. The Hunters, skilled and powerful warriors, fought to keep people safe from the monsters that haunted their waking nightmares. Glynda Goodwitch was no exception.<p>

The Emerald Forest of Vale had a serious Beowulf problem this year, and she had been called in by fellow Hunter Ozpin to deal with it. The forest was a training ground for young would-be Hunters, true, but they wanted the young trainees to at least have a fighting shot at survival. Beacon Academy, though new, had the reputation of its founders Hansel and Gretel Anderson drawing the best and brightest teachers and students to its gates every year. Ozpin had just been hired on as an instructor; Glynda didn't envy him. She preferred to be out in the middle of the combat, not observe it from afar. It was the main reason she had been asked to clear up the Beowulf issue along with the other instructors: her reputation for results preceded her.

She was following tracks through a less-dense part of the wood when she felt the unmistakable sensation of high-powered magic. Had someone else been here recently? She wondered. Altering her plans, she cautiously approached the area she'd felt the pull coming from. She slipped between the large tree trunks, leapt over logs and narrowly avoided landing on a pink bundle of…wait. What?

Skidding to a stop amongst fallen twigs and decomposing leaves, the blonde Huntress knelt down to examine the bundle. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she realized the pink blankets contained a small child. The little girl wasn't quite old enough to crawl yet and was currently sleeping soundly. She had bright red hair and wore a tiny blue outfit of some kind.

A square of folded paper pinned to the blanket caught Glynda's attention. Mindful not to wake the child, she tenderly removed it and began to unfold it. It felt more like expensive stationary than standard printer paper, and the writing on the inside was the elegant script of someone gifted in the dying (at least here on Remnant) art of calligraphy. The contents, however…well, she wasn't sure what to make of them.

_To whom it may concern,_

_It is with deep regret that I am forced to write this note. I had wished to be able to see my sister grow and thrive in our own home, but alas, it is not to be. She has been targeted by wicked people intent on either kidnapping or killing her. The best course of action is to leave her in the care of someone else in a place no one would think to look for her. _

_Her name is Bloom and she is eight months old. She is up-to-date on the vaccinations required where we come from and is in good health. Please, if you cannot care for her, place her with someone who can. She deserves only the best. _

_~Dafne_

"Bloom, is it?" Glynda asked, folding the note back up and sliding it into one of her pants pockets. "Well, I can't very well leave you here alone, can I? You'd be eaten within hours." Minutes, even, given the upsurge the Beowulf population experienced this year. The child mewed in her sleep, but didn't awaken. Careful hands lifted the girl off the ground and cradled her. "You have great power, Bloom." She remarked, walking in the direction of the academy. "You'll make a fine Huntress one day."

* * *

><p>"You're back early. And what do we have here?" Gretel Anderson asked, walking closer to the younger Huntress. Gretel was a small-framed woman easily into her golden years with her gray hair pulled into a low bun and round wire-rimmed glasses guarding her brown eyes. These days, she'd traded in her battle armor for a tasteful green dress and sensible black shoes.<p>

"This is Bloom; I found her in the woods." Glynda replied, shifting her hold on the infant so that Gretel could see her tiny face.

"What a sweet child." Gretel's mocha-colored eyes softened as she gazed at the child. "Why would anyone leave her in the Emerald Forest?"

"Because they knew people go through there to hunt." She replied, shifting her hold on baby Bloom yet again so she could pull the note out of her pocket. "This was pinned to her blanket." She handed the note to the older Huntress, who read it intently.

"So someone wants the child for her power, either because they wish to use it to their own advantage or because they fear it." The older woman mused. "The situation must be dire indeed for them to leave her in the forest."

"But what will we do with her?" Glynda asked. "Naturally, there are many families willing to take in a child, but with the power radiating from her aura…"

A chuckle sounded from her old friend and mentor. "Glynda, I believe you are yet again overlooking the most obvious solution." She smiled. "Hans and I…we are too old to keep up with a child. Ozpin means well, but he's not well suited to being a single parent. Doting uncle, perhaps, but not a parent."

An unfamiliar feeling settled in the pit of Glynda's stomach, chilling her entirely. "You can't possibly…no, you can't mean it." She fumbled for words, green eyes searching Gretel's brown ones. "Gretel, I'm an active Huntress! It's no life for a child!"

"Glynda, dear, has it ever occurred to you that you can remain an active Huntress while staying in one place?"

It had, but not in the way her friend was asking. "You want me to stay here at Beacon?"

"Naturally. It's far safer here and I'm sure the students would love a chance to babysit. You don't have to teach if you don't want too; just make sure the forest isn't completely overrun and help other professors capture certain Grimm for practical lessons."

A tempting offer—far too tempting for her to pass up at the moment. "Fine. I'll help." Glynda sighed, looking down at the sleeping babe in her arms. The things she did for this girl…and she hadn't been in her care more than an hour yet.


	2. Chapter 1: Smouldering Ember

**The Burning Beacon**

**Chapter 1: Smoldering Ember**

_Sixteen Years Later_

Bloom Goodwitch couldn't wait for the transport ship to arrive. The day had finally come, the day she'd been waiting all her life for. She had finally earned her place at Beacon Academy after sixteen years of home training from her Mom and Mom's old friend Mr. Ozpin. She even had her own weapon now: a sleek crossbow that transformed into a sub-machine gun. She named it Artemis after a fabled goddess of the hunt. Even if the goddess Artemis only existed in stories and legends, the name was bad-ass and she was proud to call her weapon by that name.

The only worrying thing about this year was the fact that she was at least a year younger than the other entering freshmen. Skipping a grade in the public and private school systems in Vale happened only in truly unusual circumstances; it was virtually unheard of for such a young home-taught Hunter or Huntress to do so exceptionally well on the entrance exams.

Then again, her mother had been one of the most gifted Huntresses of her era, able to use her aura as a primary power source rather than Dust. Glynda proudly taught this trick to her adopted daughter, who had a strong aura of her own. However, while Glynda dealt with general shields and attack blasts, Bloom specialized in fire. That affinity helped in selecting and creating her primary weapon. Crossbow bolts easily lit and burned as they flew through the air; bullets, alas, did not. Plus, she wanted something with a bit more range than standard melee weapons, gauntlets, and scythes. Artemis gave her that.

Nervous energy buzzed through her body like electricity as the redheaded Huntress stood at the entrance to the assembly hall. She'd managed to pull her wild red hair into a slightly messy ponytail, leaving her shorter bangs dangling by her face. Her official Huntress' outfit looked more functional than fashionable, consisting of a forest green ¾ sleeve high-neck blouse under a blue camouflage-print bodysuit. A simple forest-green belt held pouches—each containing tiny vials of dust and replacement arrowheads for Artemis—across her hips so she could reach them easily during a battle and a matching quiver rested on her back. Dark green boots protected her feet and lower legs, while matching gloves guarded her hands from injury.

As the shuttle landed and the other new students began to spill onto the grounds, Bloom frowned. Some of the girls appeared to be wearing armor, but the rest…she wondered if they took their training seriously. Full skirts might be nice to move in, but they got caught on _everything_. She did spy one new student of interest, however—a brunette rabbit-eared Faunus. The girl seemed constantly on edge, always glancing over her shoulder or into reflective surfaces to head off prospective attacks. A group of troublesome-looking boys appeared to be discussing the new girl in earnest detail; they would probably wind up bullying her before midterm exams were over. Although, if she had anything to say about it, they would also land themselves in the infirmary with second-degree burns and/or crossbow bolts sticking out of their arms, legs, and asses. She didn't want to be popular or well-liked and certainly didn't want to be hated, but she wasn't about to let a bunch of thugs with more balls than brains dictate the school's reaction to its more unusual inhabitants.

At least now she had a valid excuse not to hold back during dueling class. If the jerks tried anything with her, they would soon live to regret it. She got into this school on her own talent, not her mother's reputation, and intended to cement herself as a Huntress worthy of this school before their first exam ended.

* * *

><p>The next morning found Bloom and the other entering freshmen gathered on a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. The redhead listened carefully to Ozpin's instructions, cyan eyes scanning the dense evergreen canopy for signs of trouble. She'd gone hunting with her mother enough to know that the forest could be deadly to a novice Huntress. Odd that the same dangerous place was where her mother found her all those years ago.<p>

Upon hearing the words "drop in", a maniacal grin spread across her lips. She knelt into a better launching position on her platform, waiting to be shot skyward. As she went into free-fall mode, she thought about the testing groups for this year. Usually there were enough entering students to form five teams of four with one team of two or three left over, but this year only 21 students got approved for entry into Beacon Academy. There would be five teams of four, with one person left without a team until next year, when they could be paired with a group of mismatched freshmen. The chances of Bloom being the odd-person-out actually rated rather high, since she was the daughter of one of the teachers and could therefore take care of herself in the forest. She didn't mind it all that much; it would keep any of the other teams from accusing Mom or Ozpin of favoritism and prove she was capable of doing something right all by herself.

Tumbling through the tree canopy, Bloom managed to use her momentum and agility to her advantage by grabbing onto passing branches and treating them like trapeze bars. In doing this, she slowed her descent speed enough to land without creating a crater or shattering the bones in her legs upon impact with the ground. She didn't stop moving, continuing forward into the forest and closer to the temple ruins. Stopping only served to attract Grimm, and she'd rather avoid them wholesale today.

She slipped silently through the trees, venturing closer to the ruins. Sounds of the other teams fighting various Grimm echoed throughout the forest, but she ignored them. The other students were likely more focused on finding partners than their goal and were unfamiliar with the forest. While Bloom wanted to be part of a team, finishing the mission objective came first. Finally, the ruins peeked into her line of sight, and she bolted toward them. One of the teams—a pair of boys in metal armor—arrived as she entered the area. They didn't pose an immediate threat, so she paid them no mind as she grabbed one of the chess pieces sitting on the stone pillars. The boys picked up a Bishop; she opted for a pawn. The teams were determined by what pieces the pairs chose, and any idiot could see that most students would go after the more powerful pieces. Rooks, Bishops, Knights, Queens, and Kings—all those she left for the teams. Let them fight over who had the best piece; she just wanted to wrap this assignment up as fast and efficiently as possible.

Halfway back to the rally point, she felt something huge ping off her aura. Like a large Dust explosion…or a portal. Could one of the other students have run into trouble? Shaking her head, Bloom turned and ran in the direction of the disturbance. As she got closer, she felt rather than saw the bursts of magic ahead of her. She caught a fleeting glimpse of blonde hair and an orange outfit and for a split second thought it was that chick with the shotgun arm gauntlets. Once she got closer, however, she realized that this girl was **not** Yang Xiao Long.

She stood tall on heeled knee-high orange boots, a silver staff in her dainty hands. Her long, sleek golden hair was pulled back into low pigtails and blue wings sprouted from her back. Bloom felt her breath hitch. It had been decades since a Fae had been recorded in or around Vale. Faunus they had in spades, but Fae? Not in a very, very long time. And the creatures trying to attack her (a group of lesser Helspawn and what appeared to be a standard Woodland Ogre) weren't native to this area either. Could she have been the one to open the portal?

"Hand over the staff, little fairy!" The Ogre ordered.

"Never!" The blonde Fae cried defiantly. "I am Princess Stella Luna Solis of Solaria, and I would rather die than hand over the Scepter of Solaria to a thug like you!" Warm energy radiated from her thin frame. She didn't _look_ very powerful, but her aura said otherwise. The girl had power and a rough idea of how to use it, but remained pitifully outnumbered in this match.

So, a robbery gone bad, was it? Bloom narrowed her eyes, carefully pulling Artemis into firing position and readying a bolt. She watched the exchange, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

"My master wants that staff, and they're gonna get it!" The Ogre roared. "Get her!" The Helspawn jumped at Stella, but the girl admirably fended the pesky creatures off by blasting yellow-tinted energy at them. Enraged, the ogre growled and began to walk toward the young fairy.

That was all the opening Bloom needed. A quick spell ignited the bolt as she fired Artemis, the arrow sailing through the gap between the trees and striking the ogre in the shoulder. She swiftly shot two more bolts, this time without the flames. By then, the ogre was well and truly pissed off, and Bloom decided it was safe to reveal herself.

"Who's there?" the beast shouted. He stared in dumbfounded shock when she suddenly appeared from out of the forest, Artemis—now in gun form—trained on him.

"I am, ugly." Mom was probably going to kill her for baiting an ogre, but Bloom honestly didn't care as much about that as she did protecting Stella. "Go back to the world you came from now or you won't live long enough to regret it."

The Ogre looked dumbstruck (not a hard accomplishment, in her opinion). She knew he could feel her aura pulsing wildly, waiting for a moment of release. She wasn't sure if that or the gun terrified him more. "What's a fairy doing on Earth?"

"This isn't Earth, you dimwit." She tried her best not to laugh at his stupidity. Yes, both realms had evergreen forests, but Earth lacked Grimm and Dust-based weaponry. "Welcome to Remnant's Emerald Forest, home to Hunters, Grimm, and a few brave Faunus. Now go back where you came from and leave the Fae alone before this Huntress puts a bullet between your eyes."

The mustard-yellow creature seemed to consider his options for a moment before growling and stuffing his right hand into the pocket of his overalls. "This isn't over, brat." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, make with the gone already." She kept her weapon trained on him as he glared at the Helspawn.

"Retreat!" He called out, activating some kind of portal device. Most of the lesser Helspawn reluctantly followed him through it, but a handful of less intelligent pack members stayed behind and tried to rush her and Stella. Only a few different types of fire worked on Helspawn and without knowing which one she possessed, Bloom opted for the 'safe' option and peppered them with red Dust bullets while Stella blasted energy at them. Her attack energy, Bloom noticed, felt similar to sunlight and did wonders against the Helspawn. The stragglers let out an otherworldly shriek as they died; she winced at the volume of the noise. That kind of ruckus would attract a Grimm in no time flat.

"Wow!" Stella looked at her with an awed expression. The blonde looked ready to jump up and down in excitement despite the fact that her Fae form just flickered 'off' and left her in an orange dress that more readily fit the image of 'princess' than a pair of shorts and a crop-top. The scepter shrunk down into a ring that she quickly slid onto her right hand. Her amber eyes shone with excitement even as her knees began to buckle beneath her. "That was awesome! I didn't know this world had any fairies, but you've totally changed my mind!" She smiled, took a step forward…and promptly passed out on the forest floor.

"Stella!" All thoughts of stealth and silence left her mind as she watched the taller girl fall. Bloom dove to catch her, but got there a smidge too late to be of use. "Oh gods, this is so not good." She groaned as she knelt at the fallen Fae's side. The girl's breathing sounded normal and her heart beat strongly, but her aura felt incredibly faint. The fight must have used up her magical reserves, Bloom realized, and the best recovery method was rest. But she couldn't just leave the girl here to sleep it off; too many things here would eat her. "Hang on, I'll get you back to…" She gasped halfway through that sentence as a roar sounded from somewhere nearby and branches snapped in quick succession. "Oh, this is gonna _suck_..." she lamented as a rather large Ursa burst out of the foliage and into the clearing.

"Change of plans—I'll get you to the rendezvous point _after_ I get rid of the giant Ursa that wants to eat you."


	3. Chapter 2: A Candle in the Window

**Author's note: The base fairy form will be called Basix, not Charmix or Winx, in this story. I stick with the RAI English and comics for most of my writings, and in those sources the base form isn't given an official name until Faragonda decides to re-name it in honor of the Winx Club (whose name Bloom made up) at the end of season one. Since Charmix, for that dub canon, is the add-on present in season 2, this left me with the option of naming it myself, and I have chosen to call it Basix since it is the most basic transformation a fairy can achieve. **

**Chapter 2: Candle in the Window**

Bloom squelched the panic threatening to overrun her mind. Yes, Stella was passed out and a rather large Ursa seemed very interested in eating them both, but she could handle it. A Huntress never backed away from an innocent in danger, and the blonde Fay certainly qualified.

She flew into action as the Grimm advanced, running directly into its path in a bid to distract it from Stella's prone form. Dust bullets impacted its thick hide in quick bursts but left no noticeable injury to the great beast. It roared in anger, swiping at her with one of its enormous clawed paws, but she rolled out of the way and launched a fireball at it. Its fur, while thick and resistant to bullets, easily burned and distracted the beast long enough for her to convert Artemis back into crossbow form and load a bolt. All she needed was a decent shot…which she currently did not have. The creature swatted again, and she was back to playing defense rather than offense for a while.

Though some truly lucky ducking and rolling, she managed to place herself under its hulking frame and in prime position to launch a bolt into its heart. With a cry of fury she pulled the trigger and rolled to the left as the creature tried to claw her. Artemis' aim held true, metal arrowhead slicing through tough hide and muscle and fat to pierce the vital organ. The Ursa bellowed and flopped to the ground, driving the shaft farther into its body. It would bleed out in a matter of seconds, but Bloom knew better than to stick around that long. Hefting Stella's unconscious form over her shoulder, she took off toward the rendezvous point in a dead run. No way an injured Fay would last long out here. Besides, the girl's comment about 'no fairies on Remnant' piqued Bloom's curiosity. She wondered what the blonde meant by that, but supposed she'd have to wait until the girl woke up to find out.

And Mom would know what to do for the exhausted teen; might even know how to contact Solaria. No doubt the realm would prepare for all-out war once they discovered their princess missing. Remnant couldn't even handle its own internal conflicts, let alone an assault from a superior army like Solaria's. It was, therefore, imperative that someone let the king know his daughter was alive and well. Bloom took it as a personal charge to see that Stella stayed that way.

* * *

><p>Glynda resigned herself to the fact that her daughter likely wouldn't gain a partner or a team this year. The odds and enrollment numbers indicated that Bloom would go through this year—her freshman year—all alone. Oh, it bothered her immensely, but she refused to hold the girl back another year just to make the numbers match up. Bloom earned her way into the freshman class this year and intended to prove to anyone watching that she could do this on her own; all Glynda could do now was watch and support her daughter from the sidelines.<p>

So when the redhead emerged from the woods with a strange blonde girl draped over her shoulder, Glynda frowned in confusion. She knew the faces, colors, and armour schemes of all entering students this year, and that girl most definitely had not enrolled at Beacon. In fact, she looked more like an heiress than a Huntress. "Bloom, what is going on? Who is this girl?"

"She's a Fay; I found her fighting off a Woodland Ogre and a pack of Lesser Helspawn in the forest. I stumbled on them while tracking the signal of a large magical discharge, which was probably a portal since that's how the ogre escaped." The redhead frowned before shrugging her free shoulder. "She identified herself as Princess Stella of Solaria. I ran the ogre off and helped clear out the Helspawn before she passed out, and I couldn't just leave her in the Emerald Forest…"

Dimly aware of Ozpin's curious gaze, Glynda sighed. "Come, we'll take her to the school and let the nurse on duty treat her." From the feel of the girl's Aura, it was likely exhaustion that caused her to collapse and not something more sinister. "If she really is who she said she was, we'll need to contact both her home realm and wherever she was going when she was taken." Likely the realm of Magix, but she could be wrong about that.

"Do you think she's really from Solaria, Mom?"

"I don't know for sure. She certainly has the right aura for a typical Solarian, but we haven't had one of their people visit Remnant in many years. Now, you said she was fighting off a Woodland Ogre when you found her. How did she fare against him?"

"I think she might have been able to best him on her own if he had been her only opponent; the ogre wasn't too bright or fast. The swarm of Helspawn turned the fight in his favor, though." Her daughter frowned. "She has a lot of fire power, but she used up a lot of it blasting away Helspawn and disrupting the portal. The ogre seemed to think he was on Earth, not Remnant, so if he opened the portal that brought them here, I'd bet she used whatever magic she had to disrupt it and dump them on a planet that had at least a little magic left."

"A sound theory. You'll do well in your tactical analysis class if you can keep thinking like that." Glynda nodded. "Do you know why they were after her in the first place?"

"Her staff—well, it's a ring now." Bloom corrected herself. "He wanted her staff—she called it the Scepter of Solaria, and wielded it proficiently enough to take out some of the smaller Grimm. It seems to give her a power boost as well as a focus for her energy."

Well, damn. If the blonde Fay really did have the Scepter of Solaria, she belonged to the royal bloodline. This could mean major trouble for Remnant as a whole. "I've heard of that particular weapon. It's an heirloom of the royal family and a powerful magical object. We can question your new friend about it once she recovers."

Though entirely selfish, Glynda hoped that the blonde Fay would stay for more than a few days. Perhaps an exchange program could be worked out with the other schools? Anything to keep Bloom from feeling any more isolated from her peers than she already did.

* * *

><p>Stella awoke to a bright white room that was definitely NOT the Alfea infirmary. She'd been in that room enough times to know what its interior looked like, and this sleek metal-accented area wasn't it. She winced as the bright overhead lights assaulted her eyes, a soft moan escaped her lips in the process.<p>

"Oh, good, you're awake!" The sound of another voice caused Stella to turn her head in its general direction. As she squinted, she noticed a girl with flaming red hair and pale skin sitting next to her. "I was starting to worry. You were out for nearly four hours."

Four hours?! "What?" She rasped, forcing her vision to focus on the girl. Her mind recognized the redhead as her unexpected savior back in the forest. "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary of Beacon Academy, city of Vale, realm Remnant." The redhead softly answered. "You passed from magical exhaustion out in the Emerald Forest, so I brought you here to recover."

"I remember you from the woods." She murmured. "You saved me from the ogre and those nasty creatures."

"Their technical name is Lesser Helspawn and yes, I did." The other girl smiled. "I'm Bloom Goodwitch."

"Princess Stella of Solaria." Stella responded. "You people do know about Solaria, right?"

"We do, and now that you're awake, you can contact your keepers and let them know that you're alive, albeit in a different place than intended." Bloom replied. "I'm assuming you didn't mean to end up here when you left Solaria."

"No." The blonde shook her head. "I was heading to Alfea College in Magix when that stupid ogre waylaid me and disrupted the transport portal."

"Huh. Guess we'll need to talk to them too." Bloom shrugged. "There's a whole school for Fay? I mean, I knew there was a school that trained 'heroes', which are kinda like wimpy Huntsmen, but I never knew there was one for Fay."

"Oh, there are several colleges in addition to the secondary schools and private tutors, but I suppose Remnant has been without one for so long that fairy education has fallen totally off the priorities list." Stella focused on the girl next to her. "But because it's been so long, you could totally get a scholarship or two to study in Magix!"

"Whoa, back that thought up a moment." The redhead held her hands up. "I'm a Huntress, like Mom and everyone else here at Beacon. Yes, I have an unusually strong aura, but a Fay? I think that's a bit of wishful thinking."

"Is there a rule that says you can't be a Huntress _and_ a Fay?" Stella countered. "Because what you totally have magic, Bloom. I mean, since it's undifferentiated, you could feasibly become a witch just as easily as a fairy, but you weren't channeling like a witch at all."

Bloom gave her a blank, confused stare. "But what I do is no different than most Hunters. My aura may be stronger than most, but all Hunters can channel their Aura to do amazing things. How am I any different than them?"

"How you channel it, for one. Kudos to whoever trained you because you have really good base control, but the way you channel it isn't anything like how a specialist, wizard, witch, or paladin operates. It's a little off what's taught in most magical dimensions, but you channel your magic, your Aura like a fairy." She stared down the smaller girl. "I bet you'd unlock your basix form in no time!"

"We'd have to prove it all to my mom before I start any crazy training programs." Bloom snorted. "I'm already signed on for another four years here at Beacon Academy and I don't think they have the staff to manage fairy training."

"Uhg, you're right." Stella scrunched up her nose. "You can get your basic spellfire and defensive tactics training here, but flight class and potionology are going to be difficult."

"Maybe the people at Alfea will have some ideas?" Bloom suggested.

"You know, you just might have a point there…"

* * *

><p>"Stella, thank the Dragon you're safe!" King Radius cried through the video monitor. Ozpin, Glynda, Stella, and Bloom were gathered in the communications room where a three-way chat between the Alfea headmistress, Beacon Academy representatives, and Solarian monarchy had been arranged. "How did you wind up so far off course?"<p>

"I got attacked by an ogre and a pack of Helspawn while I using the scepter." The golden-eyed blonde replied. "They threw the trajectory off and I wound up here in the woods. I'd have been a goner if Bloom hadn't shown up."

"Twice over, since the fight drew the attention of a rather large Ursa Grimm after you collapsed from exhaustion." Bloom added.

"And how, exactly, did you manage to defeat an Ursa, Miss Bloom?" Faragonda, the white-haired headmistress of Alfea, asked.

"Dust bullets, flaming arrows, and fireballs, along with a lot of ducking and dodging." Bloom shrugged. "My Aura base is fire, and their fur burns pretty well."

"And you channel your Aura like a fairy." Stella chirped happily.

"You have my deepest thanks for rescuing and caring for my daughter." King Radius intoned solemnly. "Do you know why the ogre attacked."

"It said that its masters wanted the Scepter, which I told him he wouldn't get." Stella stated. "I don't know what the master wanted it for, but the ogre seemed pretty intent on taking it up until Bloom showed up and evened the fighting odds."

"It left through a portal." Bloom muttered, earning the focus of everyone else in the room. "Can Woodland Ogres open magic portals on their own? We don't have any around here, so I don't know for sure…"

"No, they cannot." Faragonda didn't look very happy. "And until we investigate the matter more thoroughly, I am reluctant to suggest your return, Princess Stella. It is possible you have an enemy here in Magix."

"But where am I supposed to go to school? And what about Bloom? She's a fairy, I know it!" Stella protested.

"We can teach you to channel your magic without transforming right here at Beacon Academy." Ozpin spoke up. "Perhaps a correspondence course would fill in the gaps?"

"Perhaps." Faragonda nodded. "Radius? What is your opinion?"

"My opinion is for my daughter to stay wherever she is safest." The man responded. "And in a school full of specialists and warriors, I feel that, for the moment, she is safest where she is."

Bloom's cyan eyes lit up. "Does this mean I get to keep her as a partner?" She asked her mother, who chuckled lightly.

"Yes, Bloom. She will be your teammate for as long as she stays." The blonde Huntress smiled.

"How am I safest here, exactly?" Stella petulantly folded her arms across her chest. "The ogre knows I'm on Remnant and escaped before we could try to catch him! His masters or whoever might send something bigger and stronger!"

"Bring it on." Bloom smirked. "I may let one of the other teams deal with whatever shows up."

"Don't worry, Princess Stella." Ozpin smiled. "You're well protected here."

* * *

><p>Knut stumbled out of the portal, falling ungracefully to his knees and panting for breath. He couldn't believe he'd been bested by a spoiled princess and the crazed Huntress, but he knew better than to stick around when it went south. He was better a coward than a dead hero.<p>

"Knut! What are you doing?" One of his mistresses shouted. He could barely make out her curly short hair in the shadowed room. "Where's the stupid fairy?"

"What happened?" A calmer, more collected voice asked. She had her long hair in a high ponytail. "Why is there a crossbow bolt sticking out of your shoulder?" He winced.

"Forgive me, Mistresses. The fairy fought my attempts to redirect the portal and dumped us onto somewhere called Remnant. I almost had her defeated when one of the locals showed up and started shooting and lobbing fireballs at us. We did, however, manage to rip off a piece of the princess's gown before then. A decent hunting troll should be able to find her."

"Remnant?" The poofy-haired woman snorted. "That backwater? I didn't realize they had anyone capable of lobbing fireballs on that planet."

"Don't discount the Hunters there, little sister." The second voice said. "Many of them would make strong witches and wizards, when properly trained."

"At least we know where they are and that we can track them." A third and final female spoke, long hair billowing behind her like a cape. "What did the interloper look like, Knut?"

"Bright red hair, shorter than the princess, fair skin, blue and green outfit." The ogre recalled. "She mostly stayed under the shadows of the trees or moved like a blur so I didn't get a very good look at her."

"Interesting." The second witch mused. "That…is actually very useful information. You have done well in boxing the spoiled little princess in on that wild realm. You," she pointed to the curly-haired woman, "I need you to get us a hunting troll while we tend to the bolt wounds."

Knut's shoulders sagged in relief. They weren't displeased with him, not any more than usual anyway. The youngest of the women growled and stalked off into the shadows as the two others came closer. It was going to hurt, but at least they were helping him and not hurting him today. That alone was worth something…wasn't it?


	4. Chapter 3: Rekindled Interest

**The Burning Beacon**

**Chapter 3: Rekindled Interest**

"Bloom! Wait up!" The girl in question whipped her head around to see Nora dragging a dark-haired boy with magenta eyes over toward them. She and Stella had been on the way to the dorms after the team ceremonies, hoping to slip by without attracting undue attention. Stella, she knew, needed time to adjust to how things worked at Beacon and she didn't want to overwhelm the blonde by forcing her to socialize. Nora, however, had a different idea.

Bloom liked Nora. The girl was energetic, friendly, and passionate about Hunting and weapons, two things the pair talked about for hours last night. It amazed her how alike they looked. They had no relatives in common (that they knew of, at least), but sported nearly the same hair and eye color. The only thing keeping them from being mixed up was Nora's preference for skirts and the color pink. "Hey, Nora. Is this your partner?"

"Yep!" The other redhead grinned. "Ren and I go way back! He's the best."

"We attended intermediate training together," Ren spoke. His voice matched his laid-back, calm appearance. "She's been talking about you since we were paired together. Should I be nervous?"

"No, you can keep her." She smiled. "I've got Stella here."

"Stella, hmm?" Nora leaned in to study the blonde, earning a startled yelp. "I didn't see you in the dorm last night."

"There was a mix-up with my paperwork," Stella harrumphed, taking a step backward and aside in order to hide behind her. "I just got here this morning."

"Wow. That must've sucked," Nora said. "So, how'd you two end up at the top of the leaderboard? We took down a Nevermore, but we were working as a full team, so…"

"I took down an Ursa and she took out a legion of Lesser Helspawn," She answered. "Some idiot summoned them and then lost the connection, I guess. I didn't think it was worth that many points, but if that's how the teachers see it…" She shrugged. Teachers were weird about stuff like that, Mom included.

"Sounds like a fun party. Speaking of, we're having one in the JNPR dorm! Wanna join in?"

"I think I'd better take a rain check on that." She shook her head. "Stella needs to get settled in, and I think you guys would be better off using tonight as a team bonding session."

"Indeed." Ren nodded. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Bloom, Stella."

"You too, Ren." She smiled. "Have fun with your new team."

"I'll try." He offered her a sly smile. She chuckled

"Are you sure you two will be okay by yourselves?" Nora asked.

"Positive. We've got some team bonding of our own to take care of." She waved. "I'll see you two in class tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The dorms were quite different than what she'd left behind at Alfea. In a room designed to accommodate four people, the girls had room to spread out and separate their belongings. There was even a kitchenette and a television to go along with the<em> ensuite<em> washroom. Though irked about sharing a room with another person for the first time in her life, Stella grudgingly accepted that Beacon Academy did not offer single rooms and she lucked out by only gaining the one roommate.

They spent most of the night chatting about their past scholastic experiences and how life on their home realms differed. Bloom still seemed wigged out by the notion of fairy training, so Stella did her best to keep their discussions about magic as pleasant as possible. Inevitably, the conversation moved from school to fashion.

"Do all the people on your planet dress like you do?" She asked as she braided her long golden hair. She didn't want to wake up with a mouthful of it again. "Where I come from, most people don't wear skin-tight jumpsuits unless they're training for a specific military post." Red Fountain required a jumpsuit with a fucking annoying cape, but none of the other major schools did.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the exception around here." Bloom replied, pulling her own fiery hair into a series of ponytails. "But now that you've brought it up, we need to pick out your battle outfit. If you're going to pretend to be a Huntress, you need to look the part."

"Sweetie, my clothes took up two and a half wardrobes. I think I have something that will work…somewhere," She replied. "But what if I transform on accident?" Part of pretending to be a Huntress involved not transforming into a fairy. What if she slipped up in front of the other students? It could put her and possibly the school in danger.

"We'll stick as close to your fairy form in color and design as we can." Bloom shrugged. "Use orange for the base color with accents of light blue and yellow. And if you keep your hair in pigtails, anyone who sees you transform will write the wings off as a trick of the light."

"I think I might have part of it in here somewhere…" She stood from the bed and walked to her chest of drawers. She rummaged a bit before pulling out a pair of orange shorts with gold pockets and a matching tank-top. An x-shaped hip-hugging belt and a pair of thin, long golden belts followed. These clothes had been gifts from her mother, charmed to change colors under moonlight or when she used her moon-based powers. She didn't wear them very much, but knew that this was perfect time to change that. "I think there's a pair of over-the knee socks in here somewhere too, and I've got a pair of orange boots in the closet." And she could charm those herself; color-changing charms were ridiculously easy.

"Well, the harness-looking thing has obviously got to go with the shorts." Bloom frowned as she approached. "We can sling the two belts diagonally over the shoulder…do we want them crossing or going the same way?"

"Same way, I think," Stella decided, liberating a pair of gold socks from the top drawer. "Hang on, let me go get my boots…" As she wandered over to the closet, Bloom began arranging the items on the bed, placing them in the same order they would appear on Stella's body.

"I can't help but think it's missing something," The redhead commented.

"Well, there's a set of blue bangles in top of the drawer chest…" She trailed off as she finally found the boots underneath a pile of flip-flops and sandals. "Aha! Come to mama!"

"That'll help, but it's still…off," Bloom sighed. By the time she glanced over her shoulder, the redhead already had the bangles in her hand.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what…" She paused when she spied a sliver of pale blue fabric in her 'fancy over clothes' section of the closet. Intrigued, she pushed the surrounding items aside to discover a small corset she didn't even remember packing. When worn, it rested just under her breasts and hit at the bottom of the tank top they'd already pulled out. It had been purchased to go with a pretty gold dress, as evidenced by the golden accents, but it would be perfect for this as well. "Cancel that last broadcast. I think I just hit pay dirt."

* * *

><p>Alfea never boasted a dress code, let alone enforced school uniforms. The school was prestigious, yes, but not stuffy enough to require a formal uniform like Red Fountain. The tutor she studied under before leaving for school only insisted that she wear a dress, never a specific ensemble. However, Beacon Academy required all students to wear uniforms during classroom hours, so she reluctantly put on the dark-colored ensemble and left with Bloom for breakfast in the cafeteria.<p>

Breakfast was an interesting affair. They wound up sitting with Team JNPR, which confirmed Stella's belief that Nora was just a tad batty. Jaune Arc reminded her of an excited puppy while the "famous" (on Remnant, at least) Pyrrha Nikos seemed pleasant and polite during their brief conversation. Ren barely spoke, but she doubted he was all that big on small-talk anyway. She caught the Winchester boy looking over at their table once, and shut him down with a glare. She so did not have time for bratty rich boys right now, and this one wasn't even all that handsome. He might be the most eligible campus bachelor here, but she could name several noblemen and princes who had him beat in the looks department. He was cute, but not *_that_* cute.

Classes passed in a blur of information she barely understood, though the match between that Schnee girl and the captured Grimm in Professor Port's class held her attention from the moment it began. The girl managed to magically transfigure her school uniform into her battle dress, which Stella knew took _years_ of practice to perfect. The girl could make a powerful ice mage if given the proper training, but she chose to fight with actual weapons instead of her magic alone. Wait, no. Not magic, Aura. They called it Aura here on Remnant, and if she wanted to pass for a Remnant student, she'd better get used to saying it that way.

The use of weapons unnerved her. Back home, only guards and those training to be guards, infantrymen, and kings of warrior realms bothered with using weapons. Here, it seemed like everybody had one, and most converted into something else. Bloom's crossbow turned into a gun, Schnee's sword doubled as some kind of revolver, and Dragon only knew what Ozpin's cane converted into. Only Professor Goodwitch seemed to use a focus wand, the only accessory Stella knew for channeling magic. She had a session with the woman this evening, after classes ended, to help her begin using the Scepter of Solaria as the weapon it was designed to be.

She skidded into the Defense classroom just before the bell rang, all but throwing her book bag onto an empty worktop. "Sorry, Miss G. Still haven't got the layout memorized yet."

"I expect you to be far more ladylike in your future entrances, Miss Solis," Professor Goodwitch remarked. Stella looked around the room and found Pyrrha already leaning against one of the desks. Ren sat next to the redhead in silence, reading a book. "Though how you managed to beat my daughter here, I don't know…"

"In Bloom's defense, I believe Ruby and Nora cornered her into a weapons discussion after her last class," The redhead spoke.

Professor Goodwitch sighed. "Yes, that would slow her down, wouldn't it?" Stella didn't understand, but figured someone would explain it to her later and kept quiet. "At any rate, this class is more an introduction than anything, so it's something she could, in theory, afford to miss. For the rest of you, welcome to Aura Channeling. As the semester progresses, we may add more students to our number as more aura specialties are discovered by students in your year. For now, there will only be the four of you. I'll start by taking roll." She marked something down on a sheet of paper. "Lie Ren."

"Present," The boy answered in a polite tone.

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Here," The redhead answered.

"Stella Solis."

"Here." She also raised her hand for good measure. Her primary school tutor drilled that response into her and she'd yet to break the habit.

"Bloom Goodwitch, who is now officially tardy…" The professor tsked as she marked something down on the page. Stella sighed. Leave it to Bloom to be late for an easy class. "But, as I said at the beginning of class, today's lesson is one she could afford to miss. Today we will focus on accessing your aura through meditation. While it is possible to tap into your aura blindly during a fight, doing so typically results in sloppy or overpowered attacks that quickly drain your energy reserves. That said, with practice and patience, you should all be able to call up your auras at will and identify its particular signature by the end of this semester."

Meditation sounded hellishly boring to Stella, but she knew better than to say it out loud. She'd seen Bloom fight in the woods (well, for a little, before she'd passed out from exhaustion). Bloom didn't need to transform to conjure fireballs and aim them with alarming precision. Bloom learned all of what she knew about magic and aura channeling from Professor Goodwitch. There was no frikkin' way Professor Goodwitch taught Bloom everything she knew about aura channeling in only sixteen years, and Stella didn't want to be the idiot stupid enough to test out where the gaps in Bloom's education resided by running their mouth off. And maybe it would be more fun in practice than in description?

"For the three of you, this step won't take very long to master," The professor continued. "You three displayed a degree of precision and skill in using your auras during the initiation mission that indicates you at least know how to call on it intentionally, even if you don't yet know what form it takes."

Bloom chose that exact moment to crash through the door and throw herself into an empty desk. Her already wild orange hair half-wound itself free of the ponytail she kept it in, and her pale cheeks glowed pink from exertion. "Sorry. Lost track of time. What'd I miss?"

"That is for me to know and your classmates to inform you of later, Bloom." The blonde professor did not appear amused with her daughter's cheeky attitude. "Now, as I was saying, identifying your aural 'element' and calling it forth on command should be no issue for any of you four, but before we start with any fancy aura attacks, I need to see where you are in the process. Therefore, we will begin by having each of you meditate and call upon your Aura for protection. If done correctly, it should manifest visually by doing something to the very air around you."

Oh, this lesson. Stella smirked. She could do this one in her sleep, her mother made damn sure of that. Hours of practice ensured that Stella could call on either of her power sources as needed, though she much preferred sunlight to moonlight. Sunlight acted bright, cheery, and energizing to her and those around her, though it did tend to be more volatile. Her lunar powers, by contrast, remained more calm and consistent. A subtle glow compared to the sun's vibrant fire. And she, unlike so many others on her home planet, could call on both with ease. But should she do so here?

Professor Goodwitch set them all meditating at the same time, partly so they could focus on calling their powers without the distraction of having everyone stare at them and partly to see how good the four of them were at sensing when someone nearby used their Aura to fight. Bloom's fire roared to life, its impulsive heat resonating with her sun-based powers. Her own pulse of light-based energy followed half a heartbeat later. A pulse of generic protective magic pinged off the left side of her shields—given the distance, it was probably Lie Ren. Pyrrha joined in last with a field that emitted an odd hum once active. Stella'd never felt anything like it before. It was cold but very energetic, vibrating air molecules and reverberating off the various structures nearby. She made a note to ask about it later if Professor Goodwitch didn't bring it up.

"Very good. You all know how to tap into your Auras." She heard the professor speak but refused to break out of her 'aura' state, as one of her tutors put it. Sure, she could switch to her lunar powers, but that would look way too damn much like showing off and she didn't wanna be that kid on her first day at Beacon. "Now, without dropping your aura, I want you all to tell me what, if any, specification you feel from your aura core. Lie Ren, if you wouldn't mind going first?"

"It's…protective," Ren's strained voice sounded from her far left. "That's all I can say for it. It doesn't really have an element."

"Not all auras do," Their teacher assured him. "Though for some it takes a while to unleash their aura in its purest form, so let's not rule it out yet. Bloom?"

"Fire." For all Stella knew, the smaller redhead had her eyes open this whole damn time. She certainly sounded confident enough to do it. "Warm, consuming fire."

"I expected no less," The professor answered with a fond smile Stella could just hear in her voice. "Miss Solis? You powered up rather quickly."

"Strong aura powers run in my family," She explained, keeping her eyes screwed shut. "I prefer my solar powers…"

"But you can use another?" She heard Pyrrha ask.

"Yes, though I'm not as proficient with it."

"Then now is the perfect time to get proficient, Miss Solis," Professor Goodwitch spoke. "Call upon your other Aura and we'll see if the rest of the class can identify its source."

She bit back a groan, but couldn't manage to choke the sigh down. She hadn't used her lunar powers in a while. There wasn't a need to at Alfea. But Goodwitch wanted to push her, and using her lunar powers _would_ make it harder for a passer-by to identify her as Solaria's princess. At her request, the volatile solar energy dispersed and the soft glow of moonlight surrounded her. She heard one of the other girls gasp.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Bloom blurted out, her aura nearly fizzling out as she did.

"You never asked." She refused say any more on the grounds that it was way harder for her to keep the aura state up than she remembered. The damage to Remnant's moon must be hampering things.

"Sun and moon," Lie Ren spoke up before any of the girls could be prompted to remember the professor's original question. "Her aura reflects the sun and the moon."

"Very good," The teacher praised him. "Now, can anyone tell me why those two sources might be found together in one person's aura?"

Stella wondered about that one herself. Even in the magical dimension, having dual sources was highly unusual. This held doubly true for monarchs or their families on a realm like Solaria.

"Well, they're complimentary, aren't they?" Pyrrha offered. "Both are stable heavenly bodies, one seen during the day and the other at night. And moonlight is really redirected sunlight, so it's almost the same thing…"

"Except that the magical qualities of moonlight are _nothing_ like those of sunlight," Bloom stated. Stella figured that Miss Goodwitch probably drilled magical properties into the redhead's brain at a young age. "You can't substitute one for the other in a ritual; it'd throw the whole thing off. I won't argue that they're opposite faces of the same coin, but they're not the same thing."

Stella learned this before she went to Alfea. She also learned that substituting 'dawning sunlight' for 'dusk sunlight' resulted in a very loud explosion when preparing certain potions after one girl in her dorm blew up a toilet while trying to brew an Infatuation Elixir under their teachers' noses. That bathroom had been out of order for over a week as punishment both on Trista for brewing the potion and the rest of the gang for not stopping her. None of their dorm residents appreciated this, but the next time someone tried to brew a potion, they used the lab instead of the lavatory.

"But they are similar, and you can't have one without the other," Ren pointed out, his aura weakening significantly with the effort of trying to maintain it and carry on a conversation. Stella felt her own protective aura waver in strength. Only Pyrrha and her strange vibrating shield stayed strong. She made a note to ask the redheaded warrior about it after class.

"It's a very sound theory. Perhaps in the future we will have a chance to test it." Professor Goodwitch paced the length of their scattered desks, the click of her high-heeled boots grating Stella's concentration. "But I do believe we have one more source left to guess. Does anyone have an idea of what Pyrrha's Semblance is?"

"Some kind of energy alteration." Stella answered. She felt rather than saw the glance Bloom shot her way and chose to ignore it in favor of keeping her weakening Aura shield in place. Professor Goodwitch hadn't told her to stop yet and she didn't want to make her best friend's mom pissed at her on the first day of school by not following directions. That she'd save for next week. "The air in the room started vibrating as soon as she powered up. Energy-driven powers are known for doing that, especially if they deal in electricity." Thank you, core curriculum, for making her seem way smarter than she actually was about magic.

"Your last tutor trained you well." She heard the tall redhead say. "My Semblance is polarity."

"Electro-magnet stuff, then." She hadn't run into a fairy with quite the same power set, but there had been one junior at Alfea who could make minor changes to magnetic fields. She'd stood close enough to the girl to know what the use of that power felt like. It wasn't exactly like Pyrrha's, but came close. Not quite as strong, though; Pyrrha had far more raw power at her disposal than the Zenethite at Alfea thought about, and the subtle control to keep it from tearing up the room when she used it.

"Correct."

"Good work, all of you," The professor spoke up. "You may drop your Aura shields."

Stella didn't need to be told twice, shield falling as soon as the words left the professor's lips. Opening her eyes a bit, she saw that Ren looked about as worn-out as she felt. She supposed neither of them were used to calling on their powers like this. She felt like she'd just gone through one of Griselda's heinous obstacle courses, something that shouldn't happen to a fairy her level. After making a note to start working with her lunar powers again, she turned her attention back to Professor Goodwitch.

"You all did well for your first lesson. From this point forward, we will begin each class with Aura shield meditation before moving on to more practical applications. For the next class, I expect a short report on the importance of Aura shields in combat. You're dismissed for the rest of this period."

While Bloom scooped up her books and tossed them into her bag like a mini-tornado, Stella gathered her things at a more sedate pace. Yeah, the assigned essay would suck (she hated essays), but this class was already way more interesting than anything she'd taken at Alfea. For the first time in a while, studying magic excited rather than bored her. She hoped the classes she had tomorrow turned out to be as interesting as the ones today.


	5. Chapter 4: Into the Frying Pan

**Disclaimer: None of the characters or locations presented in this fanfic are mine; they belong to Rooster Teeth and Rainbow. **

**The Burning Beacon**

**4. Into the Frying Pan**

Mirta's white-knuckle grip on the armrest tightened as the transport began its descent into Remnant's atmosphere. She hated military transport shuttles; they jostled and vibrated and lurched at the worst possible moments, and her last flight on one ended in her losing her lunch all over the back of the seat in front of her. Not her finest moment or one she particularly wished to repeat, but if the craft didn't stop shaking soon she wouldn't have much choice in the matter.

Across the aisle from her, Riven groaned and braced himself for another of Professor Malek's _fantastic_ landings. Under most other circumstances, Riven loved flying, but with Professor Malek as a pilot? He'd rather chew off his own foot. He didn't know how any of them got volunteered for this Remnant trip, least of all the professor with the worst rough-turbulence landing record in recent memory. Shouldn't they have someone competent piloting the shuttle onto an unknown planet?

He wasn't sure what made him and the nervous witch the best candidates for the 'exchange' program their headmasters cooked up. She was a mere incoming freshman with nothing special about her aside from her hair. As a sophomore, his assigned squad worked, ate, and slept together and consistently turned in good scores, but not good enough to get him on this mission. He had no idea what Saladin was playing at, but he wished the old coot had used someone else for a chess piece. Even if this assignment offered him a chance to step out of Sky and Brandon's royal shadows, he doubted anything noteworthy could happen on Remnant.

The shuttle landed smoother than the one Mirta arrived in Magix on, but only just. The air sickness bag made itself invaluable before the ordeal ended, leaving the young witch to stagger her way to the loading ramp. Behind her, the magenta-haired sophomore followed at a more relaxed pace.

A lone woman met them on the landing platform, her pale blonde hair in a professional bun and jade eyes hidden behind wire-rimmed glasses. From her attire, Mirta decided the woman might do more work in a classroom than out in the field. The white blouse, black half-vest and matching pencil skirt looked like pretty standard teacher attire, though Mirta grudgingly admitted that the black purple-lined torn-hem cape, black lace tights, and black knee-high boots conflicted with that image. Most teachers who wore pencil skirts in Magix and Outcastus generally paired them with sensible flats or plain heels.

"Welcome to Remnant. I apologize if the turbulence affected your travels here; the partial destruction of our moon altered the wind currents in dramatic ways we never anticipated." The woman used an even, no-nonsense tone, but wasn't overly rude or stuffy about it. Mirta liked her voice. "I'm Professor Goodwitch, one of the teachers here at Beacon Academy."

"We figured," Riven drawled. "I thought we were meeting with the man in charge?"

"You will, after a short trip to our medical bay," Professor Goodwitch replied. "We need to ensure you are current on all of our vaccinations in addition to the ones required for Magix."

Riven and Mirta groaned in unison. Magix required a rigorous physical exam and several vaccinations just to land on the planet due to its status as a college realm. The specialist shook his head. It would figure that an isolated realm like Remnant would require different shots. Didn't mean he had to like it, though.

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour later, after being poked and prodded and scanned with devices they'd never seen before, the pair found themselves in the headmaster's office. The nameplates on the desk and door named the grey-haired man Ozpin. Ozpin gave the appearance of an absent-minded older fellow, but Riven wasn't fooled. He knew that act when he saw it. Ozpin was a good actor, but not good enough to fool him…or perhaps the old man didn't want to fool him? Riven didn't know and a quick glance to his left informed him that his redheaded neighbor didn't much care.<p>

"Riven Foster and Mirta Vance, allow me to be the second person to welcome you to Beacon Academy, as I'm sure Professor Goodwitch was the first." Ozpin smirked. "You two were chosen to attend here partly as extra protection for our newest magical transfer, Stella Solis, and partly so that you may learn more about our brand of magic and warfare, and us of yours. In particular, your ages and aptitude tests ensured your selection for this assignment."

Riven nodded. He'd wondered about that. "So, what kind of weapons do you use here?" He knew phantoblade tech was more advanced than most of Remnant's best companies could offer, but he wasn't sure how well the light-based weapons worked against Grimm.

"Most of the students build their own weapons, and those that convert from one type to another are preferred. You'll get a better idea of what you're dealing with when you start training with your peers," Ozpin replied. "I'm sure some of the other students would enjoy explaining it to you. And on that note, it's time to inform you of another aspect of Beacon's curriculum: all students are divided into four-person teams comprised of two sets of partners. While here, your team will become your family, for better or worse. It is in your best interest to look out for your teammates, especially your partner." He gave the two a pointed look. "Since there are no un-partnered students at present, you two will be partners for the remainder of your time here. The pair of you will be placed on a team with our only lone pair in your year: Stella Solis and Bloom Goodwitch."

"Is Bloom related to Professor Goodwitch, by chance?" Mirta asked.

"She is, but I'll allow her to explain the connection." Riven wasn't sure he liked that smirk, but decided not to comment on it. Maybe once he got a better feel for the man things would change, but for now he'd tone down the sarcasm and play it safe. Ozpin, unaware of his mental debate, continued speaking. "Now, I believe I've kept you long enough. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your new dorm rooms and let your teammates handle the grand tour from there."

"Fine by me." He shrugged. For better or worse, life at Beacon Academy was bound to be interesting with a headmaster like this.

* * *

><p>Stella fidgeted with the hem of her plaid skirt. Last night, Professor Goodwitch informed her and Bloom that two more transfer students from Magix—this time from Red Fountain and Cloud Tower—would be arriving to fill out their new 'team'. Much as she hated how the senior CT witches treated her back home, she longed for someone to discuss the latest magical realm gossip with and the young witch, a true freshman from Outcastus, would suffice in lieu of other options.<p>

"Would you relax? It's going to be fine, I'm sure." Bloom's reassuring tone interrupted her mental monologue. "Besides, you and the new witch can be clueless about weapons together until we can rig something up for her." And oh, did Bloom have ideas about weapons. Stella was convinced that weapons and pyrotechnics were Bloom's most favorite things, especially when used to battle Grimm. So did Nora and Ruby, giving Stella the impression that redheads tended to love things that went boom and made pretty flames.

And speaking of redheads…Dragon was that hair ever red. Blood red, actually, with a single blue stripe held apart by colored beads—Stella knew girls back home who would commit premeditated ritual murder to get the hair color of their new training partner. It made the freckles on her alabaster skin really stand out and contrasted her blue eyes. The witch stood shorter than Bloom, but Stella had learned that powerful things came in tiny packages at Beacon and determined to hold off all evaluations of usefulness until she'd seen the girl work her magic.

The magenta-haired specialist she dimly recognized as one of the boys in Prince Sky's squad; she thought his name might start with an 'R' but couldn't remember it off-hand. A loner attending on scholarship and great swordsman but known for being a tad underhanded if it would help him win a fight. Red Fountain frowned on such tactics, but she doubted the instructors at Beacon would think too much of it. Any advantage against the Grimm was used to its fullest around here.

"Just the two I was looking for." Ozpin smiled. She'd rather forgotten he was there, and flushed with embarrassment at that realization. She needed to take more notice of her surroundings or she'd never get back to Solaria. "Bloom and Stella, meet Riven Foster and Mirta Vance. Riven, Mirta, these ladies are Bloom Goodwitch and Stella Solis, your new training partners and roommates."

Bloom immediately perked up, her aura vibrating in excitement. The heat it emitted made Stella a tad uncomfortable, but she refrained from mentioning it out loud when she saw Bloom's smile. "Does this mean we get a team name?"

The headmaster smiled indulgently at them. He no doubt found this whole affair amusing. "Ah, yes. From now on, you will be listed as Team BSMR (Bessemer) on the progress rosters. Now, I suggest you four retire to your new quarters so Miss Vance and Mister Foster can change into their new uniforms before the history class with Doctor Oobleck next period."

Riven cringed at the mention of uniforms, no doubt imagining variations of the caped absurdities Red Fountain clothed their students in. Stella understood the jumpsuits—those were charmed and padded to protect against impact and spell damage—but not the capes. She'd worn enough for fancy dinners to know they got caught on damn near everything. "Don't worry; it's nothing as bad as the hero capes. The guys here seem to find them comfy enough."

Riven sneered but managed to bite back the immediate sarcastic response she knew he had at the ready. Sarcasm and arrogance were his go-to reactions in most social situations. Annoying when working with him but amusing when he directed those reactions towards a rival group. She looked forward to his first training session against the Winchester prat. "And I take it you're the authority here, princess?"

"On fashion? You know it. On Remnant's school uniforms, though, I defer to our fearless leader." She smiled at Bloom, causing the redhead to flush a bit. She might be the new kid here, but it had only taken a few hours for Stella to figure out who lead what teams. Their initials came first in the team name, always. Therefore Bloom was the leader of team BSMR, not Riven.

"The school uniforms are designed with range and ease of motion in mind, but for training simulations you may wear whatever you think makes the best hunting gear." Bloom glanced over her shoulder as Ozpin took his leave under the pretense of finishing paperwork. Stella didn't doubt the man would eavesdrop at a safe distance, though. He knew too much of what happened in this school not to eavesdrop. "Most boys our year favor armored chestplates, but Lie Ren seems to do just fine without them."

Of course Lie Ren also had more control of his aura's effects than the other males in their year put together, but she decided not to bring that subject up just yet. "I'm sure Riven can come up with something." She noticed poor Mirta trying to blend in with the wallpaper and sighed. "Anyway, we'd better get back to our dorms or we'll be late for Dr. Oobleck's class, and I don't know if he takes coffee bribes or not."

"Mom never would tell me." Bloom shrugged. "No reason to find out during the first week, though. Come on; let's get you two into your new clothes."

* * *

><p>Riven couldn't say he cared for the blazer or vest much, but at least the uniform fit well and had tons of places to hide small weapons. Heck, there was probably room for his lock-picking kit in here. He'd need to add that before tomorrow, but for now he was content with a small multi-tool and his trusty phantoblade.<p>

Doctor Oobleck literally bounced off the walls on his way into the classroom. Riven raised an eyebrow; that amount of caffeine would send a normal person into heart failure, or so he dimly recalled from last year's drug interaction lectures. But he got the feeling that Hunters channeled their magic in different ways than 'normal' people, so perhaps the hummingbird-on-speed impersonation was how his body converted ambient magical energy into a useful form? He wasn't sure and wasn't brave enough to ask on the first day in class. Maybe next week, though…

By the end of lecture, he missed half the important details and regretted not filching Timmy's old audio recorder before leaving Red Fountain. Audio Playback beat sifting through half-finished notes any day. He glanced over at his new 'team'. "Anybody get the model number on that bullet train?"

"Not really, but I'll ask Pyrrha what she got and swap out for a full note set." Bloom smirked. "Dr. Oobleck's kinda…intense, but he's a great guy. He knows his history and loves talking about it…but the only way to get a complete set of notes from his lectures is swapping points with someone else."

She sounded like she'd learned that the hard way. He didn't doubt it; the redhead was a teacher's daughter and had a whole week's worth of Beacon education on him and Mirta. "Can't you just record the lesson on audio files?" He asked.

Bloom shook her head as Stella groaned. "One of the CRDL boys tried that the second day; Oobleck still has the recorder. He wants to torture us the good old-fashioned way: making us choose what should be included or dropped from the class lecture notes."

"And if he says it twice, write it down." Stella added. "It'll probably be on a quiz or something later, from what I heard."

"Yeah, but that's true for every teacher here." Bloom shrugged. "Classes have only been in session for a week, so you two aren't so far behind that a little extra work this week won't catch you up. I know how Mom lectures, but for everyone else it's probably best to just write down everything you can in class and sort through it later."

So it was first year at Red Fountain all over again. He grimaced. "And here I thought this was supposed to be a cool school."

"The cool part isn't 'til later, Mr. Big Shot." The cyan-eyed girl winked at him. He almost dropped the disinterested expression due to how bizarre that response was. Most girls didn't play back when he put the arrogant mask on. "I don't know if she'll let you join the rest of the group or not, but Basic Combative Tactics is our last class of the day today."

"And how is that fun?" He raised an eyebrow at her. It sounded like some kind of strategy class to him.

"You mean you don't like learning how to effectively use your weapon in a simulated Grimm battle?" Goodwitch feigned shock. "I thought that's what you Specialists lived for!"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes but admitted she had a point. He'd been itching to see how his phantoblade fared against a Grimm, but he never thought there was an actual class for it. "Not with a name like that, I don't. Back home the course with that name is the most boring class taught." Fortunately, it was entirely optional if you weren't on the Command track. Prince Sky and Brandon sat through it like good little nobles, but he stopped going after two weeks and changed his degree track to get out of there. He had a feeling, however, that you couldn't change majors or drop a class to get out of one you didn't like here at Beacon.

"Well around here Professor Goodwitch handles it, so it's definitely not boring." Stella harrumphed.

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it, princess."

"W-what if we don't have a weapon?" For the first time since their meeting in Ozpin's office, Mirta joined in the conversation. He was impressed she wasn't still too shy and shell-shocked to ask relevant questions. Unlike Specialists, Witches and Fairies didn't generally use focus tools for their magic and rarely bothered learning to wield traditional weapons.

"I'm pretty sure Mom will let you sit this class out, with it being your first day here and all." The (slightly) taller redhead smiled. "After class, I'll get some of the other girls together and we can let you test out our weapons for a bit. If you find something you like, we can replicate and modify it for you. A couple of students the year above us want to be weapon-smiths, so this will be great practice for them."

"You just have a solution for everything don't you?" He drawled.

"Nah, just the easy ones." Bloom smiled as they reached their next class. "And here's Intro to Grimm Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Aubergine. Let's grab a bench on the front row if we can, because while her lectures are great, her handwriting isn't and she hasn't upgraded to projector slides yet."


	6. Chapter 5: Heat of Battle

**The Burning Beacon**

**Chapter 5: Heat of Battle**

After a short pit-stop to change back into their most comfortable clothing, Riven and Mirta shadowed their teammates into Professor Goodwitch's combat class. A required core class, every entering Freshman showed up for fear of what Professor Goodwitch might do to kill their GPA if they skipped—even if some thought the class 'beneath' them. Bloom led team BSMR down to the front row and parked them in between two other teams—one comprised completely of men in rather traditional-looking armor, and another in a colorful assortment of outfits. Another cyan-eyed redhead beamed as they slid in for class; Mirta tried to hide behind Riven's bulkier frame when the strange girl addressed them. "Yay! More new people! What weapons do you like?"

"Is that really the right way to lead off this conversation?" The girl's blond teammate asked, scratching his head.

"Weapons are always the right way to lead off a conversation!" The cheerfulness never subsided for the girl. Riven wasn't sure how he felt about that. "That and introductions, I guess. I'm Nora, and we're Team JNPR."

"Personal space bubble," Stella blurted out as the exuberant girl leaned in a bit too close for comfort. Nora leaned back into her seat again, chastised but not sorry.

"I'm afraid she tends to get a bit carried away sometimes." Bloom blushed as she soldiered through the introductions. "You two, this is team JNPR: Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. JNPR, meet Mirta and Riven, the final two members of Team BSMR."

"Ooh, that's a cool name." Jaune, the blond boy, leaned closer to talk to them, reaching around Pyrrha to do so. "So, how are you guys liking Beacon?"

"Not so different from my last school." Riven rolled his eyes. If Sky and Brandon had a love child, that child would be Jaune. Brandon's swagger and unmanageable hair and Sky's coloring—the boy was going to drive him crazy, he just knew it. He also wondered if he should text them a picture of the kid and ask if they had a brother in common…their responses were bound to be funny.

"With you being from Magix' school system, I'm guessing you haven't got your weapons lined up yet," Pyrrha spoke and carefully shoved Jaune back into his seat.

"My old school was a military academy, so yeah, I have one," Riven remarked. He could understand the logic, but the assumption annoyed him. "Though our fearless leader isn't sure how much good it'll do against one of your Grimm…"

"Hey, don't let my concern stop you from trying." Bloom grinned, a slightly manic gleam in her eyes. "If phantoblade tech _works_ and we can replicate it here, the possibilities are endless."

"What's phantoblade tech?" Nora asked. "I've never heard of it before."

"And there's a reason for that." Most of the teens jumped at Professor Goodwitch's voice. They hadn't heard or seen her enter the classroom. She pretended not to notice and continued talking. "For those of you who weren't eavesdropping, Mr. Foster comes from a military academy on a different planet and is here as part of an exchange program of sorts. Phantoblade technology has become the standard in most other realms' police forces due to their simplicity and durability, but they have yet to make their way to Remnant."

"What makes them different from our weapons?" One of the other students raised their hand to ask.

"Phantoblade technology relies on the strength of the user's aura, not on dust. Aura energy is channeled into a translucent physical construct or used to fire energy rounds from the weapon. Blades made using phantoblade technology can chop through wood, stone, flesh, and some types of metal, but no phanto-weapon has been used on a Grimm…until now." The woman's vivid eyes found his; Riven sighed, knowing exactly what was coming next. "Mister Foster, would you like to be the first?"

Like hell he was turning this chance down, but first things first. "Depends on how big the Grimm is, Professor." Because what little he'd heard from Bloom taught him they came in a variety of sizes. He wouldn't mind going against something wolf-sized, but a giant snake? Not happening.

"You will be facing a smaller specimen caught in the Emerald Forest this morning. Most captured Grimm end up in Professor Port's Grimm Studies class, but I requested this one just for today's lesson." He could swear the woman was smirking at him. "Go down to the battle arena floor, Mr. Foster, and we shall see how well you fare."

He stood and walked down the steps to the arena floor, leaving Mirta to find something new to duck behind (in this case, Stella). He felt every eye in the room focus on him, including whatever was growling in the dark cage at the other end of the arena. He drew his sabre out of his back pocket and turned it on. A few soft exclamations of awe as the blade hummed to life; he ignored them and focused on the glowing red eyes across the room.

"Battle begins in 3…2…1…now!"

The cage bars retracted into the floor and ceiling as a bear-like creature the size of a compact hovercar exploded out through the opening, charging his direction with murder in its glowing red eyes. Waiting until the last possible moment, he dodged and brought his blade in an upward slice at the creature's neck. It didn't sever the head or anything else spectacular, but he felt fur and flesh give a bit under the edge of the blade. He needed more umph behind the blow, or maybe just a better angle of attack.

Despite the creature's relatively small size, it lacked the maneuverability of comparable-sized predators on Magix. It had to blow past him before looping around for another go with teeth and claws. He hunkered down, a wisp of a plan forming in his mind. The creature charged again, but instead of making another strike, he danced to the side, grabbed onto the spike on the creature's back, and swung himself on top of the Grimm's furry bulk. It wasn't much different from mounting a recalcitrant dragon in his eyes, though dragons were usually three times bigger and capable of burning you to a crisp. The Grimm reared into the air in an attempt to dislodge him, but he gripped tightly with thighs and hands and managed to keep his position. After a few hops and bucks similarly failed, the Grimm took off at a dead run straight for the gate to its holding cell. Riven gritted his teeth and began hacking at the Grimm's tough hide with the sharpened edge of his phantosabre. The first strike drew a black smokey substance akin to blood; the second in the same location carved a trench in the Grimm's flesh. He managed a third hit before getting scraped off at the doorframe.

Now he understood why so many weapons in this school possessed both ranged and close-quarters capabilities: less chance of serious injury if you could take the damn things out at a distance.

This time, the creature reared into the air, intending to bring its dangerous clawed paws down on his head. With a roar, he swung the blade at the creature's right front foot, letting his inner magic run loose and throw more power into the blade. A soft crack preceded the paw separating from the rest of the Grimm in a cloud of black smoke. Shrieking, the monster lashed out again with its remaining paw, only to lose it to another magic-powered strike. Smoke poured out of the stumped limbs like water from a tap; the Grimm landed hard on the stumps before rising again on its hind legs, letting out an unearthly shriek, and collapsed to the left, slowly dissolving before his eyes. He'd killed the damn thing, but on account of his throbbing right knee and sore arms, he wasn't going to call this anything but a near draw.

"Well done, Mister Foster." He looked up and found Professor Goodwitch walking toward him. "With more training, you could be near the top of your year group."

"With more training I'll remember to bring my knife with me to class so I'm not stuck like I was earlier." He didn't want meaningless platitudes. He'd rushed in half-cocked and nearly gotten his ass handed to him; Cordatorta would've already chewed him up and tossed him back into the bleachers by now.

"Also true." She regarded him with a calculating stare that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Return to your seat, Mister Foster, and report to the infirmary after class to have someone look at that knee."

By the time he got back, Bloom and Nora'd already put their heads together and brainstormed four new weapons using a phantoblade, Mirta looked pale as a corpse, and that Jaune kid looked like he'd met the Great Dragon for the first time. Riven sighed. His first day wasn't even over yet and he just knew he was in for a long fall term.


	7. Chapter 6: Fan the Flames

**The Burning Beacon**

**6. Fan the Flames**

Mirta's first foray into weapons handling happened in the outdoor target range after classes let out for the day. The tiny redhead found herself surrounded by a gaggle of fellow gingers—Bloom Goodwitch, Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose, and Pyrrha Nikos—and an assortment of weapons that made her brain spin in circles. Most weapons in the magical dimension were single-purpose; no one there thought to combine a spear and short sword, or a hammer and a grenade launcher. Add that to the fact that most folks with any active magic typically never picked up a traditional weapon and she considered herself a bit of a pacifist…yeah. She was on the verge of a breakdown right now.

"Now, until we figure out exactly how your Aura manifests itself, you'll probably be using a focus wand like Mom and Stella to manage magical output in a fight," Bloom explained, "But if we find something you can use effectively against a Grimm, there's no reason why we can't incorporate the focus wand into it."

"How do you **not** know your power source, by the way?" Mirta turned to look at Princess Stella when the blonde spoke. The fairy sat close enough to hear them but far enough away not to become target practice. "I was under the impression that Cloud Tower ran the same entrance tests that Alfea did."

She sighed. "They do…but the administrators haven't figured out what it is I do yet, besides a talent for illusion spells. They said they've never seen a source like mine before."

"You're not the first entering Huntress to be in the dark, so don't worry too much about it." Pyrrha smiled. Mirta tried to return the gesture but probably ended up with a grimace, knowing her luck. Pyrrha was calm and mature and nice and very pretty. She was never going to reach that level of cool. "Our teammates volunteered some of their weapons for testing. I would advise starting with something small, like the dual-wield energy pistols or the crossbow before working your way up to swords."

"How would you incorporate it into a focus wand, though?" Nora asked. "Focus wands need to be, well, wand-shaped."

"I wonder…" Stella frowned. "Well, the method never worked well for me, but a lot of fairies with Earth or Spirit class powers tend to channel magic through crystals way easier than traditional wands alone. Could we try that?"

"Using Dust crystals as a focus is really dangerous." Ruby winced. "Dust tends to be pretty…excitable. And explosive." Mirta thought there was probably a story there but wasn't about to ask what it was.

"I think she meant normal crystals. Rough gemstones, to be precise," Bloom said. "There's a shop in town that sells them…we can check it out later and see what calls out to you, Mirta."

"O-okay." She winced at the stutter she seemed to acquire in their presence. "But…weapons?"

"Staffs and spears first, especially if we're outfitting you with a focus wand." Pyrrha decided. "You don't have the strength to pick up Brunhild or make Amber Cilica work without throwing your shoulder out, and beyond that you have no real training. Staffs are a foundation weapon; figure those out and you can use about two-thirds of the weapons in this school."

"Won't be very fierce against the Grimm." Ruby pointed out.

"No, but if her illusion spells are up to snuff, she can misdirect them long enough for the rest of us to finish them off." Stella shrugged. "We'll work something out."

"But maybe we should let her try out Artemis and StormFlower so she has an idea what a mid-range weapon feels like, just in case?" Bloom suggested. "Nothing long range yet; the kick-back would knock her over."

"Maybe throwing knives?" Nora offered. "Ren's got a few he keeps as back-ups in case StormFlower's down for repairs."

"We can ask him if he's willing to work with her on it later." Bloom shrugged before focusing on her again. "So, Mirta, are you ready to start your training?"

No, but since she didn't want to fall even further behind, she nodded her approval. "N-no time like the present, right?"

"Well spoken." Pyrrha nodded, hefting a long spear up off the table. "Since both you and Stella need to learn to wield staffs as a weapon and not an extra-long wand, Bloom and I will start working with you on it."

"I thought you were teaching Jaune swordsmanship?" Ruby blinked.

"She was until he saw Riven fight that Ursa today." Bloom smirked. She almost felt sorry for her new teammate, but he did mention that he knew how to use a long-sword within earshot of half their year-mates. Any tutoring sessions following that revelation were his own fault. "And since Schnee can't stand him and he's too scared to ask Blake, Riven's really his only other option."

* * *

><p>Knut wasn't paid enough to ask where and how his Mistresses procured a hunting troll. That way lay pain and misery. No, he didn't care that they knew how to send it through a portal either. They knew a lot of stuff he learned long ago not to ask about.<p>

Knut did, privately, question the wisdom of sending only a hunting troll in, blind, at the closest spot his Mistresses could manage to their target's location. If it really was Remnant, there were rumors about that place. This was the planet that, supposedly, blew up their own moon testing weapons in the battle against the dark creatures overrunning their world. The planet whose atmosphere did wonky things to traditional spells. The planet where the pesky redhead nearly set him on fire. He didn't want to go back there, even with a hunting troll for back-up.

They dropped in within sight of the school's gates, but a large cliff separated them from the students. He was thankful that the Dark Queen and the Ice Empress managed to talk the Storm Bringer out of sending them both back the morning after the fight in the woods. He'd needed the time to heal and, as the Dark One pointed out, they needed to ensure they could send things onto Remnant's surface without the beings in question getting damaged or rearranged in the process. Tests with small objects and Helspawn worked, so Knut and the hunting troll now found themselves outside the gates of some kind of campus. School? Prison? Didn't matter much to the troll, but _he_ knew the two housed totally different kinds of people.

Now, he knew he wasn't the smartest, or prettiest, or well-spoken ogre. Heck, he could barely see without his glasses! But he knew going through the front gate would be suicidal. Any guards living here would be on them in seconds, and Remnant's guards were known to be ruthless.

The troll, however, barged right up the side of the cliff and on toward the courtyard. Knut watched the great lug climb, weighed his options, and decided he'd be better off outside the gates with the Grimm than inside with whatever the troll pissed off.

* * *

><p>Jaune Arc's training with a sword prior to Beacon Academy barely covered the basics, so Riven found himself starting from virtually square zero with the kid. The boy had enthusiasm to spare, but skills? Not much of that to speak of.<p>

"Your weapon is a longsword; it's made to stab, slice, and hack at things to do damage. The stabbing bit is important, since that's the best way to get through armor or tough hides." All of this was stuff Brandon and Sky learned during their first year at Red Fountain, and things that he'd unwittingly picked up by just being in the same room as the two Eraklyonites. "Draw it."

Jaune's draw left much to be desired, but he managed not to stab himself in the process. "Uh, do you want me to attack or something?"

"Not until you fix your stance, or I'll knock you on your ass in two moves." Or less; kid's stance was terrible. Cordatorta would have kittens if he saw this. He sighed. "Feet at least shoulder-width apart, dominant foot slightly forward, torso bent slightly at the waist, shoulders squared but slightly hunched." He drew his own sword and demonstrated. The cutlass wasn't handled the same as a longsword and technically required a different stance, but he wasn't about to try explaining _that_ to Jaune on top of everything else.

He spent another five minutes drilling the kid on the uses for that particular brand of long-sword when a loud crash at the gates forced their focus elsewhere.

"What is that thing?" Jaune squawked as a great blue thing with a large club continued to try smashing its way onto the grounds.

"The hell is a hunting troll doing here?" He growled. Hunting trolls were a highly protected and regulated species in the magical dimension; no breed of troll called Remnant home in past or present times. For one to be crashing down the gates, someone with major magical power or connections had to have sent it here. '_Looks like the princess really does need protection from someone_,' he thought.

"That's a troll?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, and we're gonna have to take it down the hard way if the girls can't scrounge up enough energy for a containment circle." Which wasn't likely to happen and he knew it. Containment circles were nice, but required power and skill to throw up in a hurry. Stella, Bloom, and Mirta might have the power for it, but not the skill. They'd have to deal with the ugly bastard by beating it senseless. "Don't come at it from the front; that club has a long reach and hurts." He learned that during last year's class on them.

"Y-yeah. Let's do this." The boy gave a shaky nod as their female teammates, draw by the noise, descended on their location.

"What the…" Ruby frowned once she got close enough to see the commotion.

"Is that a hunting troll?" Stella gaped.

"Wait, you have _trolls_ in the magical dimension?" Bloom demanded. "I thought those were a myth!"

"They're highly regulated and restricted, which means this guy has some friends in high or low places, depending on how you look at it." Stella cocked her head to the side. The troll seemed to have more trouble getting through the gate than planned, which made sense given how that structure needed to be Grimm-resistant during high-stress times such as Final Exam season.

"How do you fight a troll? Will we get in trouble if we hurt it?" Ruby asked.

"No to the second; it's destroying school property so we have the right by law of magic to defend our 'home' from the 'invader'." Stella glanced over in his direction. "We don't cover dangerous creatures until sophomore year at Alfea, so fighting it is Riven's area of expertise."

He didn't know if he should feel relieved that the princess didn't think she knew everything or annoyed that she put him on the spot like this. "Trolls are strong, tough, and magic-resistant enough to give anyone at our level a lot of trouble, but also stupid and very slow to react. Best to stay out of striking range to deal with it or close enough to it that it can't hit you easily."

Ruby and Nora shared a _look_ that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Leave it to us."

Jaune groaned. Bloom simply rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think you two have this one. Just let us know if you need help."

"I think those of us who use swords should be ready to back them up, just in case." Pyrrha spoke. He sighed and nodded an affirmative while Jaune gulped.

He hadn't got the chance to see either of the hyper redheads fight during the 'brawling with style' class Professor Goodwitch taught, but he knew Nora carted around a big-ass hammer that could do some damage to a troll's skull or joints if it were as heavy as it looked. He still didn't really get to see Ruby fight because the girl ran from one place to the next so fast he had to follow the trail of rose petals to figure out where she'd been. Not that that helped much; she disappeared into some of the trees along the outside of the gates and he lost visual. But Nora…damn, that girl could swing. Oh, and the hammer? Totally doubled as a rocket launcher and could be propelled by that means to enhance the force of impact. She lacked Ruby's speed but made up for it by mashing the troll's fingers so bad it howled.

The troll swung with its club, but by the time it was halfway there, Nora'd moved and landed a blow to the back of its knees. Another roar of pain filled the air when it fell. Now thoroughly pissed at the tiny human, the troll swatted at her with the club; this time it caught her and sent her into the wall with a sickening thud. It struggled to stand…and a single crack of gunfire sounded at the same moment it fell. Riven loosened his grip on his phantosabre's hilt and smirked. Most specialists avoided using guns as a primary weapon in basic training, since they were tricky to properly enchant (too many moving parts that had to be individually charmed and calibrated, according to Professor Young back at RF) with phantotech…but a sniper rifle was dead useful if you were patient and skilled enough to use it right. And little Ruby Rose, possibly the worst damn fidget he'd ever met (including Timmy), managed to hit a troll at the weak point where the skull joined the spinal column. She dropped from the tree she'd been hiding in as the teachers finally arrived on scene. "Did I kill it?"

No rise and fall of the chest and torso, no movement in the limbs, and no gulps for breath—he nodded. "Yeah, I think you did."

"Good heavens, what is that?" Dr. Oobleck exclaimed.

"A very dead troll, if I'm not mistaken." Headmaster Ozpin drawled. "Another non-native species…it seems someone is trying to make a point."

"Or look for something." Ruby edged closer to her kill, frowning at something that'd fallen onto the path during the troll's brawl with Nora. She gingerly knelt down and lifted a ripped piece of orange fabric for them to see. "Riven said it was a hunting troll…I guess this belonged to whatever it was hunting."

"Hey! That's from my dress!" Stella shouted. "Ooh, when I get my hands on these jerks…"

"Miss Nikos, Mister Arc, please take Miss Valkyrie to the infirmary," Professor Goodwitch spoke, bringing the Solarian's tirade to a screeching halt. "Miss Rose, if you would return to your team…"

"Oh, let her stay, Mom. We need her and Pyrrha to help Mirta and Stella in staff training anyway, and she's the one who killed the troll." Bloom met her mother's stare without flinching. "She at least deserves to know why her services were needed today."

A short staring contest followed before Professor Goodwitch closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. We will read them in, but no one else. The more people who know…"

"Yes, yes, the greater the danger. You said that when she started term," Bloom stated. "But you have concede it's better in the long run to have others who know what we're up against if she's targeted while the rest of us aren't there to help. First an ogre and some lesser Helspawn, and now a troll? Who's to say they won't send a dragon next time?"

"While I doubt they're quite that desperate, the original point stands." Ozpin said. "Miss Nikos and Miss Rose will be briefed on the current situation. It will be up to them to decide how much to tell their teams, though I do suggest you only discuss this matter in the safety of your dormitories. We don't need word of this getting leaked outside the walls of this school."

Riven sighed, wondering how the hell his life turned into one of those B-grade spy films Brandon loved to watch so much.


	8. Chapter 7: Warming Up to It

**So…in case it wasn't clear before, this story is going to be a MAJOR AU for both Winx Club and RWBY. Mind, we're only dealing with the first season for both at present, but things are going to diverge pretty sharply as the story progresses. Little things make big impact craters. This particular section takes place during the Jaundice arc.**

**The Burning Beacon**

**Chapter 7: Warming Up to It**

Ruby looked around the office again, taking in every knick-knack, book, and painting the headmaster kept on display. The book on fairy tales struck her as weird, but she kept quiet until Pyrrha returned from her trip to deposit Nora in the infirmary. To their right, Team BSMR stood or sat in varying states of excitement ranging from nervous (Mirta) to barely-restrained glee (Stella).

The team's formation was her fault, in a sense. If she hadn't been put on the attendance books at the last minute, Bloom would have lead one of the teams. But Ozpin shoehorned her into the first year class and left Bloom by herself until Stella and the magical transfers showed up. She still wasn't sure what to think about the blonde girl. Yeah, she and Weiss got on good and she had Aura to spare, but the way she showed up out of nowhere was just odd. Bloom hadn't known about her before the first test; the little talk they had the night before told her that much. But Stella showed up afterward, exhausted but intact and enrolled which begged the question: who was she and where did she come from?

"Ah, the last of you is here." Ozpin's voice broke her out of her mental musings while Professor Goodwitch shut the door to the office. "It's time to begin. Let me start by re-iterating my earlier statement: it is your choice how much you tell your teammates and partners, but do not reveal all without first informing myself or team BSMR, and do not discuss the matter outside your dorms, or in your dorms without the doors and windows shut."

That…sounded a bit like overkill, but okay. Whatever they had to say must be really important. "Of course, Professor Ozpin, but why the secrecy?" Beside her, Pyrrha nodded in agreement. Good. Well, maybe not _good_, but at least she wasn't the only one feeling lost.

"Story time," Bloom said, cyan eyes looking over the pair of them. "As Ruby probably remembers, I started off at this school as the student most likely to end up without a partner or team after the First Test. Between the number of students and skill needed to pass…well, it was going to be me or Pyrrha and wound up being me. I found the temple and retrieved the token no problem, but on the way back to the rendezvous point…well, things got kinda freaky. Do any of you remember feeling a massive burst of energy during the test?"

Ruby didn't, but from the look on Pyrrha's face, she had. "I thought it was someone making use of their Aura in a big way," the taller girl answered.

"Well, she's only half-wrong." Stella smirked.

"Oh, hush you. Anyway, I was only a few yards from the energy spike and decided to investigate," Bloom continued. "Imagine my surprise when I found not a hunter and a Grimm, but a woodland ogre, a pack or two of lesser Helspawn, and a Fay fighting to banish the monsters."

Something niggled at the back of her mind at the word 'Fay'. Something she'd read or seen a long time ago but hadn't completely committed to memory. She frowned and made a note to ask Yang about it later.

Or, she would have if Pyrrha hadn't done it for her. "But there aren't any Fay on Remnant, at least not anymore. And we don't have woodland ogres in this kingdom and Helspawn require a summoning circle to bring forth…"

"Give the girl a prize." Stella smiled warmly at the confused Huntress as something akin to recognition flashed in Pyrrha's green eyes. "I'm studying here as a Huntress, yes, but Remnant and Vale weren't my scheduled destination when I left home. I was on my way to Magix via portal when the damn things jumped me and knocked me off course. The portal spat us out in the Evergreen Forest. I was holding them off best I could and trying to figure out why the ugly thing wanted my scepter when Bloom showed up to the party and helped drive them off. By the time it was over, I'd exhausted my magical reserves and collapsed."

"You're a Fay?" Pyrrha asked the blonde. Stella nodded. "I suppose you were on your way to the school in Magix, then. Why did they want your weapon? The staff is powerful, yes, but I didn't think it was worth that much trouble."

"No one else can tap into it like I can, but it's strong." Stella shook her head. "The Scepter of Solaria is a family heirloom, passed from Ruler to Heir in the royal family for…well, I'm not sure exactly how many generations, but at least the last six. It's said to tap into the 'heart' energy of our planet to give the wielder a power boost and focus tool for their magic. Daddy wasn't powerful enough to do much with it, but he and Gramma said I'm one of the strongest fairies the royal line has seen in recent years. Or, I will be, once I finish my training. Point is, it's a powerful magical focus with an energy of its own. Someone must need that energy to power a spell or ritual, hence the repeated attempts to take it away from me."

"Wait, royal family?" Her brain had kinda fixated on that part and refused to move. "You're a fay _princess_?"

A wide smirk brightened the blonde's formerly somber features. "Princess Stella Luna Solis, daughter of King Radius Solis and heir apparent to the throne of Solaria, at your service."

"And once the other schools in Magix heard what happened to her, they decided to get involved by…"

"Sending bodyguards disguised as transfer students." Pyrrha finished Bloom's sentence for her. The fire-wielding redhead didn't seem to mind.

"W-well, not exactly," Mirta spoke up, blushing bright as Bloom's hair at her own boldness. All eyes turned in the diminutive witch's direction, causing the blush to spread down her neck and up over her nose. "Riven m-might have been chosen as a bodyguard, but Headmistress Griffin picked me because she thought I might learn more here than at C-Cloud Tower." A shudder passed over the girl's frail shoulders. "The older students there…so much d-dark magic and emotions…it was like a constant sinus migraine."

"Wait, you're an empath too?!" Stella whirled around to look at her teammate, shock painted on her face. "And you didn't think to mention it _sooner_?"

"Oops?" The small girl winced. Stella sighed.

"Sweetie, if you'd told me that when we first met, I'd have helped you set up a null field. No wonder you had so much trouble focusing in class!"

"Wait, I'm confused." Bloom frowned. "What's an empath, and a null field, and why would Mirta need one?" Ruby nodded; she'd wondered that herself but hadn't been quick enough to ask.

"Empaths feel and draw strength from the emotions of those around them. Or weakness, sometimes; it depends on the situation," Stella said. "Most empaths are low level—they possess enough sensitivity to instinctively know what the people in their vicinity feel, enough to know when someone's lying to them, but only in a passive capacity. They feel some of the energy, but can't manipulate it. To be getting headaches and energy drain…" she made a circular gesture with her left hand that Ruby didn't understand before fixating on her teammate again. "It's not just immediate vicinity with you, is it Mirta?"

Mirta shook her head, blood-colored tresses swishing as she did. "I c-could sense half of Cloud Tower and the school itself—which is a giant _sentient_ fungus—at any given time." The words were almost a whisper. "The population here is smaller and more stable, but…"

"Still enough for a decent-sized headache." Stella pinched the bridge of her nose. "We'll work on a null field for you tonight. Even if it's not complete, it should block out enough emotional energy for you to function properly tomorrow."

Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch had an entire conversation in frowns, shrugs, and eyebrow movements while this played out. She didn't understand any of it, but supposed it had to be related to Mirta's little bombshell. Eventually Ozpin sighed and gestured to Professor Goodwitch, who started to speak. "We'll set up a bi-weekly schedule with someone who can teach you to control this power once this meeting concludes, Miss Vance. If you don't, you could unwittingly broadcast enough fear and sadness to bring a horde of Grimm to the gates." Mirta's blushed cheeks darkened further at the implication.

Ruby'd never thought much about magic and magic-users. Most Remnant natives were lucky to manage a Semblance, nevermind anything stronger. The only ones she'd wager being close to 'traditional' magic were Professor and Bloom Goodwitch, and even then she wasn't sure how much of the professor's energy constructs came from the dust that powered her focus wand/riding crop. Bloom, though…that girl had literal firepower, which was unheard of for a modern huntress. Stella's energy constructs made a lot more sense now that she knew the girl was Fay, but Bloom? Not so much. "I'm guessing this makes getting a focus wand even more important, huh?"

"Indeed," Ozpin remarked. "Well, now that we've hit the high points, as it were, are there any more questions from the two of you?"

"Is he some kind of super-mage too?" She asked, not taking her eyes off Riven in case he disappeared on her.

Riven snorted. "I have enough energy to run a phantoblade, but nothing on their level." He jerked his thumb at the other three members of the team.

"It might be enough for a semblance, though." Professor Goodwitch speculated, studying the man in question. "We'll address that at another time. For now, all of you could do with some rest after this afternoon's excitement."

"Yes. Go to your dorms, relax, start on your homework—even with today's excitement, it will still be due tomorrow," Ozpin told them.

She thought it was a little unfair, but she wasn't the headmaster and didn't want to look anymore childish than she was sure she already did and thus kept that opinion to herself. She could use a hot bath and a long talk with Yang. And maybe a couple rounds of video games to help focus her swirling thoughts.

* * *

><p>Mirta had never had the luxury of a null field before. Lucy tried, but hadn't been strong or skilled enough to maintain one for her. Since empaths of her capabilities were so rare that most teachers at Cloud Tower hadn't had a clue how to help block the emotional tsunami that was the student population. She spared a moment to wonder how Princess Stella knew how to cast one but swiftly discarded it. Odds were good that knowing might get her in trouble someday.<p>

"It's…it's like I can breathe again," she whispered, tears building up in the corners of her eyes. Beacon Academy felt less crushing than Cloud Tower, but she hadn't realized how much she'd picked up before the field went in place.

"I imagine so." Stella eyed her like the latest fashion craze. They were the only two in the room, Riven gone to finish working with Jaune and Bloom off to visit Nora in the infirmary. "So, care to explain why you weren't outfitted with one before now?"

"Cloud Tower's scans are vague at best. It can tell you your source and areas of expertise, but not output on a passive ability like empathy." And she was the first strong empath from Outcastus in four generations, so no one back home could teach her to control her abilities knee-to-knee. "Headmistress Griffin wanted to save the null field as a last resort—she severely overestimated how much control I have. My roommate, Lucy, tried to rig up a blocking field, but it didn't work at all. We figured I'd just have to stock up on headache potions until the year ended and we knew enough for a third try at a field." That or she collapsed in the halls and forced the headmistress to set up the field that way, but she really_ hated_ that plan.

From the look on Stella's face, perhaps she did as well. "Well, when it's daylight in Magix, we'll ask to put a call through to Faragonda about training. Even if she doesn't know what to do for you, I'd bet my new pair of shoes she knows someone who can."

"Y-you don't have to do that. I'm not worth the bother." She never was to anyone but her mother. Too soft and kindhearted, too magically and physically weak or inferior—the other students at Cloud Tower knew this and reminded her daily. With time, Lucy would start to believe them, like she already did. Such was life as a witch (no matter how much it sucked).

The blonde's eyes widened as she rushed to the bed and planted herself next to Mirta. "Oh, no, no, no, sweetie. You're no bother at all. Well, your fashion sense is a little off, but we can work around that." Stella laid her perfectly-manicured hands over the top of hers. "For all I know, we'll be stuck here the full four years it takes to complete Beacon. Which, yeah, it sucks being away from the magical dimension so long, but I honestly can't think of a witch I'd rather spend time with than you. Hell, I wish more witches were like you. You just need a little confidence, that's all, and that we can definitely work on."

Warmth blossomed in her chest, budding at her heart before fanning out into the rest of her. "No one's said that to me in a very long time, Princess Stella."

"Well, you better get used to it. Teams are supposed to be like family around here, I'm told, and that means you're stuck with me and Bloom and Riven as faithful guard dogs until you're ready to take care of yourself. Deal?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."


End file.
